Known in the prior art in the tissue paper industry are plants for the production of articles and corresponding packaging, such as rolls and towels of tissue paper, which are packed in corresponding packets, packs, bags, pallets or other.
Generally speaking, these prior art plants comprise at least one operating line including at least one upstream section for making the articles, in particular in the form of log saws for cutting rolls off respective elongate logs, and at least one respective packaging section, in particular for primary packaging, preferably in the form of a packing section where the articles or rolls are packed.
Prior art plants may also include one or more further packaging sections, in the form of a section for cartoning, or bagging, the packs and/or a section for palletizing the packs or cartons/bags.
Prior art plants also include conveying means by which the products are transported between one section of the plant and another, in particular between the means which make the articles and the respective packaging section and between one packaging section and another in the downstream part of the plant.
However, in plants of the above mentioned type in the tissue industry—but also in plants for making other types of products—, although the large quantities of articles made are of satisfactory quality, a certain number of defective end products are produced which are only occasionally removed, completely manually, by machine operators and which are unfortunately placed on the market and eventually reach end users.
Even today, therefore, prior art plants of this kind continue to produce defective products which do not measure up to consumer quality standards.
Moreover, in prior art plants of this kind, it is difficult to promptly determine the causes of defective products with any degree of certainty.
In short, prior art plants of this kind produce non-negligible quantities of defective products which machine operators find it difficult to pick out but which, on account of complaints and order losses, nevertheless cause production losses for the companies which use these production plants.
Furthermore, there is also in the industry a generally felt need for machinery and equipment which are relatively low in cost and/or which do not have excessive impact on normal production activities.
Yet another need felt by the industry is that for machinery and equipment that is easy for operators to install and/or use.
A further need felt by the industry is that for machinery and equipment which can operate at relatively high speeds and/or with particularly high levels of effectiveness and efficiency.
Moreover, the industry also feels the need for machinery and equipment which offer a particularly small footprint.